This is the fifth part of an ongoing summer basketball series that continues to spotlight the UCLA men’s basketball program. Stay tuned to uclabruins.com this summer for additional chapters about the Bruins as they prepare for the upcoming 2026-27 men’s basketball season.
Who’s Incoming?
The returning group of Bruins has given UCLA a foundation. But building around those pieces will be the next challenge. Eight newcomers have joined the program this summer, bringing new skill sets and new possibilities to the roster.
All four transfer students were in their first college seasons one year ago. Jaylen Petty starred in the backcourt as a freshman at Texas Tech. Former European teammates Filip Jović (Auburn) and Sergej Macura (Mississippi State) have reconnected at UCLA. Both Jović and Macura were teammates in Belgrade, Serbia, for KK Mega Basket in the Adriatic Basketball Association. Azavier Robinson made significant contributions at Butler last winter before a wrist injury in January cut his freshman season short.
For Petty, the expectations and the goals at a school like UCLA are no secret.
“It means a lot to add on to this program, so I’m trying to leave my own mark,” said Petty, who grew up in Seattle and graduated from Rainier Beach High School. “But growing up watching UCLA teams, seeing guys like Lonzo Ball, he was inspirational. It’s a blessing to be able to play here after having seen so many first-round NBA guys come through. I want to add on to that.”
Petty, who averaged 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 33 games at Texas Tech last season, describes himself as an “energy” guy and “shot maker,” a creative player who will “do anything to win.”
The 6-foot-1 guard from Seattle knocked down 69 of 184 attempts from 3-point distance last season (a 37.5 percent clip), sinking as many as five threes in three contests.
“Jaylen plays with great escapability off the dribble,” Cronin said. “He’s a very natural scorer and a very confident shooter. He’s a great athlete. A lot of guys who can shoot the way that Jaylen can shoot it aren’t as athletic as he is. He has long arms for a smaller guy. He plays much bigger than he is. He’s very intelligent, and he understands defensively how to guard the ball – he understands help and passing lanes. We need an offensive punch, obviously, having lost some of our guys to graduation. He’s going to be able to provide us with a guy who has scored at the highest level.”
Petty scored 20 or more points in three games, including a 20-point performance at Houston on Jan. 6, in Big 12 play. He shot 5-for-9 from 3-point range through 35 minutes in a 69-65 loss at Houston’s Fertitta Center.
“You’re talking about a guy who had 20 points on the road at Houston,” Cronin said. “Some teams don’t get 20 points against Houston in one half, and he had 20 in a game on the road. So that shows you he’s got great potential.”
Similar to Petty, Robinson broke into Butler’s starting lineup less than 10 games into his freshman campaign. The 6-foot-2 guard from Indianapolis shot 43.3 percent from 3-point distance and averaged 6.1 points per game.
Savino provided his quick, initial impressions of incoming transfers Robinson, Jovic and Macura.
on Azavier Robinson: “One thing that stands out is his defensive prowess. I mean, he is a pit bull on the court. He’s the prototypical Mick Cronin defensive-minded guard. He steps on the court and he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to pressure you, take the ball from you, and make your life miserable.’ It’s been fun for us to watch in the few practices we have had so far.”
on Filip Jović: “Filip is a tough kid,” Savino said. “And you ask him to do something, he’s going to listen and he will go 110 percent. He will give you his best. He definitely fits our program’s DNA when it comes to playing hard, playing physical and doing what it takes to get the job done. I’m really excited about him and what he brings to us, on that front.”
on Sergej Macura: “Sergej is an older player,” Savino said. “He’s smart and understands the work that goes into what we are doing. He has really good size for a forward. He can play different positions. I think he is capable shooter, but right now, his best attributes are that he plays hard, plays smart. He’s a great cutter and he can really rebound. I’m really excited about him.”
The Bruins have added four incoming freshmen – two from the United States and two from Europe.
Joe Philon III, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward from Tampa, Fla., spent his senior season of high school at Montverde Academy in Florida. Javonte Floyd, a 6-foot-9 center from Atlanta, Ga., was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Cedar Grove High School. As a senior, he led his high school team to a 21-6 record and a 14-0 mark in region play.
One of the two incoming freshmen from Europe, Gunārs Grīnvalds, arrived on campus earlier this month. Grīnvalds, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Jūrmala, Latvia, spent his last five years studying and playing basketball in Spain. He competed for Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga ACB. Nikola Kusturica, expected to arrive at UCLA later this summer, averaged a team-leading 24.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in seven games for his native Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul this summer. A 6-foot-9 guard/forward from Novi Sad, Serbia, Kusturica signed with FC Barcelona’s youth team in 2023.
Savino also shared his initial assessments of UCLA’s four incoming freshmen – Philon III, Floyd, Grīnvalds and Kusturica.
on Joe “Jojo” Philon III: “Jojo has a chance to be a special player,” Savino said. “Defensively, he is unique. He’s long and he can guard the ball. He can block shots. He’s the ultimate wing athlete who can get you excited about the things he’s able to do athletically. He’s got a really good work ethic. And I can see where it comes from, with his family, his dad is a coach. The kid loves the game.”
on Javonte Floyd: “Javonte looks the part,” Savino said. “He is a big, strong guy and he’s all natural right now. He’s just scratching the surface of what he could be down the road. He really hasn’t done much with lifting a weight and going through the rigors of a college basketball season. I think this experience for him, here in his first year, it’s really going to pay dividends for him. He’s able to play with a force that can be hard to find.”
on Gunārs Grīnvalds: “Gunars, who just got here, he’s an excellent shooter,” Savino said. “He’s got some surprising size, as I didn’t realize how tall he is as a guard wing. We are excited to see if he can have some Jake Kyman type of moments as a freshman, coming into the game and changing things with his ability to shoot.”
on Nikola Kusturica: “I’ll call him Kusta, which is what a bunch of our guys have been calling him. Kusta has all of the accolades that we’ve heard about with his potential as a player. But what I see, he is someone highly talented, highly skilled, in all areas of the game. I’m talking about his passing, his ability to drive the ball, his ability to get fouled and his knack for rebounding. All arrows lean to him being a very physical player, even though he is still developing his body. He plays with a toughness and an intensity that I believe will really buy into our culture.”
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